The Lanzarote International Regatta has attracted over 200 Olympic class boats and boards for the first big European Regatta of 2023.
Lanzarote claims to be ‘the world center for Olympic sailing’ and with this third edition, from 9 to 17 February, that might seem a tad bold, but it has definitely filled an early season gap prior to the Trofeo Princesa Sofia Regatta in early April.
The Mallorca Regatta may have received the nod from World Sailing to be among the four regattas that make up the rejuvinated World Cup Series for 2023 and 2024, but Lanzarote has very successfully built a foothold as an early season training and racing base.
This is especially critical with selection for the 2024 Paris Olympics concentrating the minds of sailors hoping to be on the start-line in Marseille on 28 July 2024.
The Lanzarote Regatta only includes six of the ten Olympic classes, missing the Laser and Kite classes.
The British Sailing Team will be there in a reduced force with entries in the 470 (4), 49er (1), 49erFX (2), iQFoil men (4) and iQFoil women (7).
But when the Olympic circus move on to The Princess Sofia Regatta on Mallorca, which will feature all ten Olympic events, the Brits ramp up with 50 plus entries expected to take part in this must-do event.
And from there the European season will be in full flow with Olympic class rgattas and European and World Championships all critical in deciding who gets to go to Paris 2024.
The RYA practice has been to name the first Team GB selections in the year ahead of the Games.
This would suggest the first British selection announcements around September 2023 . . . So no time to waste then!
World Cup Series Calendar 2023:
- Trofeo Princesa Sofía: 1-8 April 2023
- Semaine Olympique Française: 22-29 April 2023
- Allianz Regatta: 31 May–4 June 2023
- Kieler Woche: 17-25 June 2023
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